


i'll just hold you

by linwaterstar



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 00:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14726913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linwaterstar/pseuds/linwaterstar
Summary: Zach wakes up to the feeling of Alex shaking beside him.





	i'll just hold you

Zach didn’t intend for Alex to spend the night. It kind of just happened. After a session of PT, Alex had plopped himself onto Zach’s bed and turned on the gaming console, which Zach didn’t mind at all. He crawled onto the other side of the mattress as Alex tossed him a controller, and they sat like that for a few hours, saying nothing but the occasional, “on your left”, and “nice shot”. Zach knew that Alex got annoyed when people (his dad) were reluctant on letting him play violent games, so Zach said nothing. He could tell that Alex was grateful.

“Thanks. My dad took away all of my shooter games.”

“No problem. Feel free to come around any time.”

Alex gave him a small smile before returning his eyes back to the TV screen. He didn’t see Zach’s gaze linger on him.

And eventually, they both had slowly drifted off to sleep. Alex had somehow ended up pressed against Zach, shoulder to shoulder, with his head leaning against his broad, muscular bicep. Zach caught a whiff of Alex’s shampoo before he found his eyelids grow heavy. He smelled like a mixture of honey and coconut. It was nice.

After who knows how long, Zach was quite literally shaken awake. At first, he didn’t process the jerky movements beside him. It was when the sleep and fatigue wore off when he realized that it was Alex who was shaking. He had lost his balance through the tremors and was sprawled across Zach’s lap.

“Hey, Alex? Alex. Come on,” Zach murmured as he propped Alex upright. He could see that his eyes were squeezed shut and his bottom lip was quivering. Zach touched his cheek and gave it a light tap, hoping it would wake him up. He felt Alex lean into the touch as if it was a safe haven in the obvious nightmare that was coursing through his mind. Zach adjusted his position so that he had a more firm hold on Alex, and he could now feel the cold sweat down Alex’s neck. 

Jesus, this boy’s so fragile and thin.

“Alex, wake up.” Zach finally gave him a hard shake, and his eyes finally snapped open. He immediately fell into Zach’s arms, wrapping his own around his neck. Alex allowed himself to get engulfed by Zach’s hug. His small body racked with sobs. They stayed like that for a while, Alex crying into Zach’s neck while Zach rubbed small circles into his back, telling him things like “it’s okay” and “I’m here now”. Out of habit, he pressed a small kiss onto the top of his head. He didn’t think Alex noticed through all the shaking.

Zach could feel every single bone of Alex’s rib cage and his spine protruding out of the thin layer of fat that Alex had on his back. He was scared that he might crush him to dust. Alex was holding onto him so tight that it was almost choking him. 

After a few minutes, the tears were replaced with shaky breaths. Alex’s grip on him loosened but he didn’t move away. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Alex shook his head. “I just want you to hold me right now.”

So that’s what Zach did.


End file.
